Support for businesses
with apprentices
Too few young people choose vocational education, and almost every fourth apprentice drops out of their apprenticeship prematurely. The problem of the growing shortage of skilled labour in Denmark is significant, and has presumably only worsened during the Corona crisis. With new million-krone support, Business Center Bornholm will, through the project ”Faglært er fedt” (Skilled is cool), develop new methods to secure the skilled labour of the future.
13 July 2020
A corps of young role models, company visits, guaranteed work placements, training for apprenticeship supervisors, and targeted support and tools for companies; these are some of the concrete ideas intended to help ensure that more young people choose the vocational path – and that they actually complete their training.
That there is a shortage of skilled labour is old news. As early as 2025, Danish businesses will be short of as many as 70,000 skilled workers. Too few young people choose the skilled route; and too few of those who choose the skilled route and get an apprenticeship complete their training. In fact, almost one in four drops out of their apprenticeship before receiving their trade certificate.
Funding from the Nordea Foundation, Bornholm Regional Municipality and Sparekassen Bornholm's Foundation
Business Center Bornholm, together with the Regional Municipality of Bornholm and Bornholm businesses, has therefore taken the initiative for the project “Vocational training is great”. The project will develop and implement a wide range of initiatives aimed at young people and businesses on Bornholm, designed to create greater intake and higher completion rates for vocational education and training. Initially, the project is a pilot project on Bornholm; the initiatives and results will be continuously documented so that they can later be rolled out and applied in the rest of Denmark.
The Nordea Foundation is supporting the project with 1,915,000, the Regional Municipality of Bornholm with 1,800,000, and the Sparekassen Bornholm Foundation with 300,000 DKK over a three-year period.
“The companies I speak with say that it is becoming harder and harder to find the skilled labour they need, and unfortunately all forecasts show that it will be harder in the future - so we are incredibly pleased with this important work to secure the workforce of the future for both Bornholm and Danish companies”, says Bornholm's mayor Winni Grosbøll.
”Despite the corona crisis, it is important for society to secure qualified skilled labour both on Bornholm and in the rest of Denmark. For a number of years, we have seen societal growth being hindered due to a shortage of skilled labour, and we therefore wish to continue the systematic work of training skilled workers within businesses, states Christa Lodahl, Head of Business at Business Center Bornholm.
"It is an important and ambitious project that develops and tests methods to encourage more people to choose and complete a vocational education and training programme. The effective initiatives will benefit the individual, the region and the rest of Denmark.", says Henrik Lehmann Andersen, CEO of the Nordea Foundation.
The project will run for three years, starting on 1 August 2020. Initially as a pilot project on Bornholm, the initiatives and results will be continuously documented so that they can subsequently be applied in the rest of the country.
The Bornholm model
In collaboration with local businesses, the Municipality of Bornholm and Campus Bornholm, Business Center Bornholm has been working on the ”Bornholmermodellen” project since 2016. The project has shown impressive results and has, among other things, developed the apprenticeship guarantee scheme with strong backing from Bornholm's business community. At the same time, it has demonstrated that effective collaboration across industries, companies, educational institutions and the municipality is possible. Compared to the rest of the country, more young people today are choosing a vocational education on Bornholm.
Contact
Business Centre Bornholm
Head of Business Christa Lodahl: 30 50 21 28 / cl@bornholm.biz
Nordea-fonden:
Head of Communications Tine Wickers 40 70 37 84 / tw@nordeafonden.dk
Facts about the project's interventions:
Information and experiences
The project will create informational material for young people about educational opportunities in specific companies on Bornholm, which will be shared, for example, at local knowledge hubs showcasing the opportunities within vocational education and training. In addition, a fixed concept for company visits and visits to primary and lower secondary schools will be developed to ensure a constant flow of information and the best possible experiences with vocational education and training for the target group. Here, the target group will learn about vocational education and training and gain their first hands-on experience with skilled work.
Role models
A corps of 20-30 vocational education role models is to be established to visit primary and lower secondary schools and businesses, as well as being available digitally and within networks. The role models are students and apprentices in the main phase of their training at Bornholm-based businesses who are outgoing and demonstrate professional pride. The initiative is to ensure that the target group identifies with life as a skilled worker and forms their first professional communities.
apprenticeship guarantee scheme
The existing initiative regarding the apprenticeship guarantee on Bornholm, which has ensured a surplus of apprenticeships on the island, is to be continued in its current form. The apprenticeship guarantee provides the target group with the reassurance that they will be able to complete their apprenticeship period during their education, thereby removing a significant uncertainty that many young people describe as a barrier to choosing a vocational education.
Training of businesses
The initiative must provide tools for businesses to ensure a positive reception and experience for students on work placement. In collaboration with the project partners, courses focusing on the quality of work placement periods will be held, in addition to themed evenings with changing topics and twilight meetings, where businesses can gain inspiration and be introduced to cases and exercises that they can continue working on at home. Apprentice club meetings will be held where apprentices are given the opportunity to exchange experiences.
Business support
Ongoing individual help and sparring for each company, based on the company's daily needs, including the establishment of a ’hotline’ between the project owner and the company, ongoing evaluations and feedback on satisfaction with the traineeship periods, and the development of action plans. This is to ensure that apprentices have a good experience with the practical part and a good introduction to working life, so that they are retained in their education and motivated for a subsequent working life as a skilled worker.